Oregon Natural Desert Association

Beatys and Mahogany Buttes

There is no developed trail to the top, so the hike begins when you have found a decent spot to park your vehicle. Beatys Butte at 7,885 above sea level and nearby Mahogany Butte at 7,140 are the most prominent points in the area, making for a challenging butte climbing day. The terrain is...

Take this hike to enjoy views not just from the summit, but all along the way. Keep your eyes open for wildlife as well. You can start from the Hot Springs Campground for an 11-mile hike, or take the shorter option and start from Barnhardi Meadow when the 4-by-4 road is open (Aug. 1...

The public finally has access to the Trump administration’s report on the review of 27 national monuments, but only because it was leaked to the press. Astonishingly, Zinke’s memo to the president still fails to provide key details on changes he’s recommending to these jewels of our public lands. Zinke’s report lacks clarity on...

Now more than ever, we need everyone who loves public lands to speak up for them, or we risk losing these places. Many people simply don’t realize that the places they enjoy hiking, biking, and rafting through are threatened. And those of us who are concerned about the future of our public lands don’t...

Oregon Natural Desert Association employee Jeremy Austin realizes a childhood dream, and takes to the sky across southeastern Oregon with LightHawk. Photos by Jim Davis with aerial support by LightHawk. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? As kids growing up, we used to ask ourselves this question almost daily. For...

For more than a decade, Kirk Richardson has been a strong voice for protecting Oregon’s high desert. He’s served on the Oregon Natural Desert Association Board of Directors, helped dream up the Live Monumental effort to protect areas like the Owyhee through his position at KEEN Footwear, and now is the recipient of the...

Dr. Megan Creutzburg is a researcher at Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources, where she provides technical coordination for the Oregon Sage Grouse Conservation Partnership (SageCon). With climate marches happening across the nation on Saturday, ONDA’s Corinne Handelman sat down with Megan for an interview about her research on sagebrush landscapes and climate change...

For three decades, ONDA has been a strong, consistent voice for Oregon’s high desert. It all began in 1987 with extraordinary people concerned about an extraordinary place, and today has blossomed into the only organization that works exclusively on behalf of eastern Oregon’s high desert public lands and waterways. It’s been more than three...

Carol Savonen is a member of Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a group formed initially by older women to champion America’s public lands. Here, she shares the experience the Broads had on a recent trip to the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. This past June, 25 Oregon members of the Great Old Broads for...